Keeping busy

Babies, house keeping and Starcraft. That's pretty much all I've been up to outside of work for the past few weeks. Which is actually a nice change as things have been frightfully busy at work with lots of conferences and activity going on at the office and no sign of the schedule slowing down as we approach the Christmas period. In fact I'm likely going to have to make a trip to the UK in December for a week to gather some requirements for our applications, which would be an exciting opportunity if it didn't coincide with mum's visit and a concert that Alsie and I were planning on going to. Such is life I guess.

This latest Flight Centre conference had us on the ferry to Moreton Island for a nice sunny break and the usual corporate review. Shame that all but the last day had us stuck indoors as the clouds dumped on us, perfect weather for the pub but not all that conducive to dolphin feeding or sailing. Saturday night was a fancy dress buzz night where we had to come as a Tarantino or Spielberg character, so the team rocked up in attire inspired by the Lost Boys from Steve's triumphant work, Hook. Oh how many times I watched that movie as a kid.



Sunday was a little nicer outdoors so we got a chance to do some quad biking. Didn't end up being as awesome as I thought it would be which was a shame. I'd pick go-karting over that any day but it was nice being able to do something in the sun.



Call us overenthusiastic but we somehow found ourselves buying baby Chua's first bit of clothing the other week at Myer. What started out as a trek across this store to find an extra item to purchase to qualify for a discount ended up with the two of us cooing at baby socks and prints of anthropomorphic animals on jump suits. One of which we purchased as it had a cow on it, adding this to the small collection that started with some lovely presents from Krit for the bun in the oven.



The fixation with Starcraft has not begun to wane as yet, with most nights dedicated to frantic mouse clicking in the attempt to best some random 13 year old kid in Singapore that obviously knows what he's doing compared to me. Oh if only one didn't have to work to support a family. Never one to take responsibility for my failures I decided to blame my gross uncoordinated flailing mouse cursor on my wireless mouse, and splurged on getting a "proper" corded gaming peripheral. It glows in the dark and has 10 different options for customization that I don't understand so I'm sure my performance is about to rise to a whole new level of incompetence.



On the odd occasion Alison has successfully dragged me off the computer to do something constructive around the house, or you know... spend some time with the mother of my child. This weekend we busted out the sand paper and started preparing the outdoor table for a future paint session. Even with a smooth finish it's looking a lot better than it did before so we can't wait to see how it turns up after a fresh coat of paint.



Aside from that it's just been normal house work and infrequent yard mowing while we wait for mum's upcoming visit in November. The place is looking pretty established now though neglect has resulted in a few weeds popping up here and there. Personally I blame the warming weather and freakish level of rain we have experienced in the last month. Better get those gardening gloves on again.

Fatherhood

Being the sappy and clucky guy that I am, I've been thinking about this blog post for many years. Next to the announcement of nuptials over three years ago, this would be the next logical milestone to chronicle on this little weblog of events. Though I'm sure I could drag the buildup for a few more labored sentences, I think I'll save everyone time by coming right out and saying this; Alison and I are going to be parents in April next year.



It's been hard to keep this all under wraps for the past 12 weeks while we waited for the socially appropriate time to spread the word. Friday was the first of many tests that this child will have to endure in it's life and I'm pleased to say that it's already excelling all standard benchmarks. Admittedly my assessment could be considered marginally biased.



That's a beautifully formed left hand I think. Absolutely perfect for playing the guitar and video games as you would expect. One thing that doesn't come across in the pictures is how much the baby moves during the ultrasound. We were absolutely transfixed on the screen, watching in awe as the baby (a mere 5.5cm from crown to rump at this point) floated around and danced on the screen. I'd buy one of those machines to take home if I could.



There were also 3D pictures taken but they didn't come out as well. I'm going to be taking a lot of photos over the next few years so this kid better not be camera shy. Fascinating that it sleeps the same way I do with my arm over and face against the wall. Well... I found it fascinating anyway.

The new grandparents and family are suitably excited about all of this, with mum booking trips out in November and April to be with us. We may even get Uncle Wing to drag himself away from work for once with the promise of being able to hold a new bubbie. The estimated due date at the moment is the 12th of April 2011, which would be an Aries. Another Tauren in the family wouldn't have gone amiss but I'm sure we'll manage.

It's still too early to tell the sex of the baby though Alison and I both plan on finding out. Names on the other hand will have to be a surprise for April. Rest assured that there will be posts to follow our upcoming adventure.